City blew a two-goal advantage and then had to rely on a late equaliser in a six-goal thriller with Crewe at Platt Lane.

Despite being two goals to the good at half-time thanks to efforts from Paul Clowes and Bradley Robinson, the Blues had to rely on a a late equalizer from defender Kim Skosgrud to earn a draw after the visitors fought back strongly.

The game began with chances for both sides going close early on, but it was City who drew first blood. After enjoying some excellent possession, a long ball over the top by the impressive Mappen-Walters found the head of Clowes to break the deadlock on 18 minutes.

City doubled their advantage three minutes later when  Robinson converted Adam Drury's pass to slip the ball home confidently and put his team firmly in the driving seat, but the visitors were far from finished.

Crewe came out for the second half looking the hungrier of the two teams and halved their deficit on 52 minutes when Oswell slotted home his first of the afternoon and after City had missed a number of chances, Oswell made them pay by making it 2-2.

The inclusion of Alex Henshall added a new dimension to City’s attack, but it was Crewe who looked set to complete a shock comeback when Cooke lobbed home on 81 minutes.

The Blues, however, fought back to level the scores just two minutes later when Skosgrud headed home a Henshall corner and then skipper Harry Bunn hit the post in the dying minutes to almost steal back the points for the hosts in an entertaining rollercoaster of a game.